COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
No. 1 Maryland will battle its second consecutive top-five ranked opponent Friday when it travels to No. 5 Virginia for a 7 p.m. contest.

Karri Ellen Johnson and Katie Schwarzmann split offensive and defensive weekly honors from the Atlantic Coast Conference Tuesday after combining for 10 goals, eight ground balls and four caused turnovers in a signature win against No. 3 Duke last Saturday. Schwarzmann leads Maryland with 18 goals this season while Johnson has tacked on 17.

The Terps are seeking their 15th consecutive win Friday while looking to stay atop the ACC standings. After falling to Loyola in its opener, Virginia is aiming to build momentum off its two-game winning streak which includes an upset at Syracuse its last time out.

Fans can follow the action via the Umterps.com live blog or the WMUC radio broadcast. Both outlets are available by following the corresponding links above.

THEY'RE BACK - TITLE TERPS READY TO DEFEND CROWN
 Maryland is looking to extend its nation-topping numbers by garnering its 27th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and 12th national title in 2011. While the absence of Tewaaraton winner Caitlyn McFadden and IWLCA National Defender of the Year Karissa Taylor will undoubtedly leave a void, 2010 IWLCA National Coach of the Year Cathy Reese and the Terps look forward to filling the gaps with a mix of old and new to create yet another national champion contending unit for the 2011 season.
 Three IWLCA All-Americans return for the defending national champion Terps, including senior attacker Sarah Mollison, junior attacker Karri Ellen Johnson and sophomore midfielder Katie Schwarzmann. Johnson has been pegged by Lacrosse Magazine as its preseason national player of the year.
 Top defender Katie Gallagher is a welcomed back-addition to the roster after serving a redshirt season during the Terrapin's run to the crown.
 The Terps home schedule will be an exciting one as Maryland welcomes the likes of Penn State, Duke, Syracuse, Penn and North Carolina to the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex.

SCOUTING VIRGINIA...
 No. 5 Virginia represents Maryland's second top-five ranked foe in its last two outings as the Terps trek to Charlottesville Friday.
 The Cavaliers (2-1) upset Syracuse their last time out, toppling the Orange 21-11 on the road. Four Cavs scored three or more goals to down Syracuse.
 In addition to its win over the Orange, Virginia has defeated Richmond and lost to Loyola in 2011.
 Charlie Finnigan (11 g, 4 a), Julie Gardner (9 g, 6 a), and Josie Owen (8 g, 5 a) all lead Virginia with double-digit points this season.
 Maryland leads the all-time series, 34-17, and has won four straight against the Cavs.

TERP DUO SWEEPS ACC WEEKLY AWARDS
 Maryland swept the league weekly awards Tuesday as Karri Ellen Johnson and Katie Schwarzmann were tabbed ACC Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week, respectively.
 Johnson scored five goals and added an assist to lead No. 1 Maryland to its' first ACC win this season. Johnson also notched three ground balls, two draw controls and two caused turnovers.
 Schwarzmann coupled her third five-goal performance this season with a phenomenal defensive effort against Duke. The sophomore was steady on the defensive end of the field, racking up a game-high five ground balls, three draw controls and two caused turnovers. She was also named Synapse Defensive Player of the Week and WomensLax.com Player of the Week.

BALANCED ATTACK DOWNS NO. 3 DUKE
 Katie Schwarzmann and Karri Ellen Johnson scored five goals each to lead No. 1 Maryland to its first marquee win of the season against No. 3 Duke, 18-11, Saturday.
Schwarzmann tallied her third five-goal showing for Maryland and added a team-high five ground balls, three draw controls, and two caused turnovers. Johnson moved into sixth all-time in career goals at Maryland with five on the day and also added an assist, three ground balls, and two caused turnovers.

DEFENSE STYMIES PENN STATE
 A tenacious defensive effort sparked No. 1 Maryland to a 13-2 victory over No. 16 Penn State in the Terps' home opener.
 After falling behind the Nittany Lions 2-1 to begin the match, the Terrapin defense held Penn State (0-1) scoreless through nearly 51 minutes of play. Offensively, Maryland (3-0) was led by a trio of hat tricks from Sarah Mollison, Katie Schwarzmann and Kristy Black. Despite having her streak of consecutive games with a goal snapped at 47, Karri Ellen Johnson tied a career-high with three assists.

POIST NAMED ACC DEFENSIVE POTW
 Brittany Poist was tabbed Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Week for the period ending Monday, Feb. 20.
 The senior helped a lock-down defense which granted No. 16 Penn State only two goals. It marked just the first time Maryland has held a foe under three goals since 2003.

WHAT A RIDE...
 Maryland captured its 10th NCAA crown when it staged an incredible comeback from a 6-0 deficit against five-time defending champion Northwestern in the national title game to conclude the 2010 season.
 It was Maryland's first NCAA title since 2001. The game was played in front a record-crowd totaling nearly 10,000 people.

GALLAGHER RETURNS FOR DEFENSE
 After serving a redshirt season during Maryland's run to the national title in 2010, Katie Gallagher returns to action in 2011 to help rejuvenate a defense that will be without the services of departing seniors Abby Caso and Karissa Taylor.
 Gallagher is entering her third season as a starter and totaled 24 caused turnovers and 33 ground balls prior to her redshirt senior season in 2011.

.KEJ TABBED PRESEASON BEST
 Junior attacker Karri Ellen Johnson has been named Lacrosse Magazine's NCAA Division I Preseason Player of the Year, announced by the publication Monday.
 Johnson, a local product from Annapolis, amassed 143 goals in only two seasons in College Park. She capped last year's magical run to the program's 10th NCAA championship by scoring three times in the Terps' 13-11 win over five-time defending champion Northwestern in the NCAA final.
 The two-time IWLCA All-American is currently ranked sixth all-time in career goals at Maryland with 160.

PROTECT THIS HOUSE
 Maryland is 42-1 at home under fifth-year head coach Cathy Reese.
 The Terps have won all five games in which they have played an opponent ranked No. 1 or No. 2 at home in the past four seasons and have done it in three different locations.
 The Terps are 182-15 in College Park dating back to 1990 with 12 perfect seasons in that span.
 Records of home and away games are incomplete from 1974-89.

COLLEGE PARK - STREAK CITY
 Maryland's Sarah Mollison and Karri Ellen Johnson each possess scoring streaks which rank among the best nationally.
 Johnson and Mollison's boast a string of 98 consecutive games with either an assist or a goal. Maryland has won 13 straight games.
 The Terps have won 14 consecutive games, dating back to 2010.

SHUTDOWN DEFENSE
 The Maryland defense has allowed an opponent to score more than eight goals only four times in the last 14 games.
 The Terps surrendered 13 scores at North Carolina April 10, 2010 - their last loss - and gave up 10 to Penn and 11 to Northwestern in the NCAA Tournament. Maryland allotted Duke 11 scores this season.
 The Terps are giving up an average of seven goals per game in 2011 including holding No. 16 Penn State to two goals - a feat not done by Maryland since 2003.

REESE RETURNS FOR FIFTH SEASON
 Head coach Cathy Reese returns for her fifth season at her alma mater.
Reese Highlights:
 2010 IWLCA National Coach of the Year
 2007, 2009, and 2010 ACC Coach of the Year
 2009, 2010 ACC Champions
 Coached 2008, 2007, 2009 and 2010 ACC Player of the Year, 2009 and 2010 ACC Rookie of the Year, one Tewaaraton Award winner, 14 All-Americans, and 15 All-ACC selections
 2009 and 2010 IWLCA South Region Coach of the Year
 Won eight national championships at Maryland as a player and coach (1995-2001, 2010)

INTERNATIONAL FLAIR
 Maryland boasts three players from countries outside the U.S., including captains Sarah Mollison (Australia) and Laura Merrifield (England).
 A transfer from Cal-Berkley, Camilla Hayes joins Merrifield as a representative from England.

SMALLS DISHIN' IT OUT
 One game into her senior season, Sarah Mollison added her name to the Maryland career assists list.
 The senior from Melbourne, Australia, ranks eighth all-time in career helpers at Maryland with 88.
 She tied a school-record for assists in a game with six in the season opener at Richmond.

2011 CAPTAINS
 Cathy Reese has named seniors Sarah Mollison, Katie Gallagher and Laura Merrifield captains for the 2011 campaign.
 Mollison served as captain last year as a junior, helping lead Maryland to its first national championship since 2001. The attacker was third on the team last season with 45 goals. The Melbourne, Australia, native is a two-time All-American and returns for her third season as a starter.
 Gallagher missed last season with an illness but is poised to lead the Terrapin defense in 2011. One of Maryland's strongest players, Gallagher is a three-year starter for the Terps and played a key role in the squad capturing the 2009 ACC Championship.
 Merrifield has been a steady force in the midfield for Maryland since her arrival. As one of the tallest players in the country, she brings an imposing stature to the Terps' offensive scheme and also boasts the speed to allow Maryland to run its fast-paced style of play.

TERPS LAX - A FAMILY AFFAIR
 Maryland freshmen Abbey Clipp and Annie Farrell have a family link to the Terps.
 Clipp's sister Becky is a former All-American for the women's lacrosse program. Farrell's brother, Brian, is an All-American long pole for the Terrapin men's lacrosse unit.

THE YOUNG AND TALENTED
 Four freshmen once again represented the University of Maryland well when they played in the 2010 Under Armour All-America Game.
 Brooke Griffin led all South scorers with three goals as the North edged the South.
 Beth Glaros, Amalie Trentzsch and Kelsey Horton all earned starts and joined Griffin.
 Horton tallied a team-high four assists on the day, including two to Griffin, while adding a goal. Glaros scooped a ground ball and the combo of Griffin and Horton gathered a combined six draw controls in the all-star action.

RED, WHITE & BLUE TERPS
 When the Terps tangled with the U.S. this preseason, they were without the services of key players Katie Schwarzmann and Brittany Poist.
 Schwarzmann, an IWLCA Second Team All-American and the ACC Rookie of the Year in 2010, is in her first full season with U.S. Senior National Team. She joins her older sister, Lauren, on the squad.
 Poist is also experiencing her first action with the U.S. Senior National Team. A transfer from the University of Louisville, Poist played an integral role for Maryland as a junior, helping lead the nation's top defense.
 Former Terps Acacia Walker and Caitlyn McFadden are also on the U.S. National Team.

TERPS RACK UP SEVENTH ACC CHAMPIONSHIP
 Led by five points from Caitlyn McFadden and a career-high 12 saves from Brittany Dipper, Maryland upended No. 1 North Carolina, 10-5, to win its second consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference Championship title in 2010.
 UNC was held to its lowest goal output of the year while Brittany Poist led the Terrapin defense with two ground balls and two caused turnovers. Maryland, which has played host to the ACC Women's Lacrosse Championship twice, has won the tournament in both attempts with defeats of Carolina in the title game on each occasion.
 McFadden was tabbed tournament most valuable player while teammates Dipper, Karri Ellen Johnson, Sarah Mollison, Laura Merrifield, and Karissa Taylor joined her on the all-tournament team.

FOLLOW THE TERPS!
 There are many ways to follow the Maryland women's lacrosse team this season.
 Umterps.com will have a live interactive blog for most away games, including Richmond, Delaware, Virginia, and Georgetown.
 WMUCSports.com will once again be broadcasting the majority of the games. Log on to their site for more information.
 TerpsTV Premium will also be webcasting Maryland home games against Duke, Syracuse and North Carolina.